1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of reposable or reusable surgical instruments. In particular, the present disclosure relates to instruments having separable and replaceable components to provide clean, sterile, or refurbished surfaces in each instance of use.
2. Background of Related Art
Instruments such as electrosurgical forceps are commonly used in open and endoscopic surgical procedures to coagulate, cauterize, and/or seal tissue. Such forceps typically include a pair of jaw members that can be controlled by a surgeon to grasp targeted tissue therebetween. More specifically, the jaw members may be approximated relative to one another to apply a mechanical clamping force to tissue, while electrosurgical energy is delivered to tissue via one or more electrode surfaces of the jaw members. The combination of mechanical clamping force and electrosurgical energy delivery has been demonstrated to seal adjacent layers of tissue captured between the jaw members. Thereafter, the sealed tissue may be transected by advancing a knife between the jaw members.
During use, various tissue-contacting components of an electrosurgical forceps (and other similar instruments) may become contaminated or degraded. For example, electrodes may become contaminated as portions of treated tissue adhere to the tissue-contacting surfaces of the electrodes. Also, the knife may become dull and less effective in transecting tissue after repeated use, even in a single surgical procedure. In order to provide clean electrodes and a sharp knife for a particular surgical procedure, a brand new instrument is often used. Once the procedure is complete, the used instrument is discarded. Instruments that are reposable, or reusable for multiple procedures, or instruments incorporating reposable components, on the other hand, reduce waste and instrumentation costs per procedure by permitting the reuse of one or more components thereof.